On Sunday, Russia unleashed its most extensive airstrike on Ukraine in nearly three months, escalating the intensity of the war with an attack involving 120 missiles and 90 drones. This massive assault, which targeted cities, civilians, and critical infrastructure, left at least seven people dead and caused significant damage to Ukraine’s energy grid.
The scale of the attack underscores the ongoing challenges Ukraine faces as it braces for a harsh winter under persistent threats to its already fragile energy infrastructure.
The coordinated strikes caused widespread destruction, prompting emergency power cuts across numerous regions. The attack severely damaged facilities critical to Ukraine’s power grid, including stations operated by DTEK, the nation’s largest private energy provider.
DTEK’s CEO, Maxim Timchenko, emphasized the urgent need for additional air defense systems from international allies to prevent further devastation.
Although Ukrainian officials have refrained from providing detailed assessments of the damage to the energy system, the effects were evident. Power outages were reported in regions as far west as Volyn, Rivne, and Lviv, and as far southeast as Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. The southern Odesa region also implemented emergency power cuts following orders from energy officials.
The assault marks a grim moment in the nearly 1,000-day conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as a “massive combined attack targeting all regions of Ukraine.”
The human toll of the attacks was stark. In Mykolaiv, two people lost their lives in an overnight drone strike. Another two people were killed and three injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region when a rail depot was hit. In the Lviv region, near Ukraine’s border with Poland, a woman died when her car was struck.
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The Odesa region also reported two fatalities, while in Kyiv, falling debris from intercepted missiles set the roof of a residential building ablaze, injuring at least two people, Reuters.
Despite the scale of the attack, Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept a significant portion of the incoming threats, destroying 104 out of 120 missiles and 42 out of 90 drones, according to Kyiv’s air force. Explosions echoed across the capital as air defense systems engaged the barrage.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the attack, calling it “one of the largest air offensives” involving a mix of drones and missiles aimed at peaceful cities, sleeping civilians, and critical infrastructure.
The timing of the attack coincided with significant geopolitical and military developments. Notably, it came just days after the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, whose ambiguous pledge to end the war without specifying how has sparked speculation about potential negotiations.
Meanwhile, Moscow has intensified its offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, achieving its fastest territorial gains since 2022. Despite heavy losses, Russian forces are pressing to seize the entire industrial region, which has been a focal point of the conflict.
On the Ukrainian side, troops are defending a strategically significant piece of land seized in Russia’s Kursk region during operations in August. Kyiv has suggested that holding this territory could serve as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.
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The strikes have also brought renewed scrutiny of international responses to the war. Ukrainian officials criticized German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call, marking the first direct communication between the two leaders since late 2022. While Scholz urged Putin to withdraw his troops, Kyiv viewed the call as undermining efforts to isolate the Kremlin.
The ongoing conflict continues to test Ukraine’s resilience and the international community’s commitment to supporting the country. With winter fast approaching, the need for robust defenses and humanitarian assistance grows more urgent as Ukraine faces the dual challenges of escalating military pressure and a vulnerable energy infrastructure.
This attack is a stark reminder of the stakes in this conflict. As the war approaches its 1,000th day, the suffering of civilians and the strain on Ukraine’s resources demand an unwavering global response to counter aggression and support peace.